Mindy McCready is the fifth former cast member of “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” to die in the past two years.

The 37-year-old country star, who appeared on Season 3 of the VH1 show, where she suffered an on-camera seizure, was found dead on the front porch of her Arkansas home on Sunday. Authorities said she was the victim of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Alice in Chains bassist Mike Starr and former “Real World” cast member Joey Kovar also appeared on the show’s third season. Starr died in March 2011 at 44, while Kovar, 29, died in August 2012.

“Grease” actor Jeff Conaway, 60, who appeared on the show’s first season, died of pneumonia in May 2011. However, the doctor who treated him for drug addiction for years told CNN it was his dependence on prescription painkillers that eventually cost him his life.

Authorities said that Season 2 cast member Rodney King’s death in June 2012 was the result of accidental drowning, but the alcohol, cocaine, marijuana and PCP found in the 47-year-old’s system were contributing factors.

Dr. Drew Pinsky, who hosts his own program on HLN, CNN's sister network, spoke to CNN’s Don Lemon on Sunday night about the many “Celebrity Rehab” deaths and losing McCready.

“One of my hopes was, in bringing ‘Celebrity Rehab’ out, was to teach people how dangerous addiction was,” Pinsky told Lemon. “If I was doing a show on cancer, there would not be much surprise when my cancer patient died. In fact, we’d celebrate a few years of good quality life. People don’t understand that addiction has virtually the same prognosis. If you have other mental health issues on top of that, it’s so much worse. This was not an addiction death, interestingly. This was related to - had her boyfriend not died, I don’t think there’s any way we’d be in this position right now.”

A month ago, David Wilson, the father of McCready’s youngest son, apparently took his own life. He too was found dead on the porch.

“There’s a cautionary tale here about the stigma of mental illness and the way in which the public attack celebrities who take care of themselves,” Pinsky said. McCready "became so fearful of the stigma and the way people were responding to her being hospitalized that she actually checked herself out prematurely. … She is a lovely woman, we have lost her, and it didn’t have to go down like this.”

soundoff(754 Responses)

Appalled

I just heard Dr Drew scream at some 21 yr old kid who called into Love Lines during their open forum topic of "When U 1st were exposed to porn." So the caller said his mom used to go dancing and leave him alone when he was abt 13 or 14 & he would watch cable porn. Dr Drew asked the caller where his father was, and the caller said his parents were separated. Dr Drew insisted on following this track, even tho the caller didn't bring it up; actually, the caller was resistant to discuss the family dynamics, and had just called to relate the porn incident, which was supposedly what the open forum was abt. Finally, Dr Drew started screaming at the caller, saying NO – YOUR FATHER ABANDONED YOU AND YOUR MOTHER ILLEGALLY LEFT YOU ALONE. The caller said something dismissive, like "I guess," and Dr Drew continued yelling "NO NOT 'I GUESS' – THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED. YOU WERE ABANDONED BY BOTH OF YOUR PARENTS." I mean, what sort of person screams at a 21 yr old guy who obvs hasn't come to terms with his family-of-origin dysfunctions, after inviting people to call abt such a loaded topic? I was appalled. I felt sorry for the caller, who they basically hung up on, after yelling at him, which seemed to surprise the caller, if not actually hurting his feelings. Seriously, these people are jerks. I was working at the time of the show, and plan on making my thoughts known at the place I work abt the irresponsible and exploitative nature of this so called "Dr."

HELL's on Earth... she obviously had problems; otherwise she wouldn't have been on the "show" to begin with. People like this need help`regardless` if they see it or not!. But to still go on a "TV-show" to get help is riduculous. TO MANY EYES & "What-ifs" BUT to do this to herself and her family tells me- NOBODY could've stopped her. This to me states "SHE had problems to begin with, and the drugs made it worse. It was her "choice" to do this- and nobody else

you hear this all the time on new casts.....the victim was dead of a gunshot wound to the head,they will have an autopsy to determine the cause of death....you gotta love beaurocraps.....<typo intended...

The show is trashy TV to begin with. And I am ashamed that Mr. Drew would even participate in such a show. There are plenty of other ways to educate and help heal people with addictions or mental illness without turning a serious medical issue into TV mockery as "treatment". And no parents child is a "loser" because they have an addiction, or mental illness. So many immature people want to bad mouth others tragedy and call them "losers" from behind their keyboards – I call those people cowards. If having a problem makes someone a "loser" then that should make every parent, friend, family member and treatment professional a loser too for not doing enough or caring enough to do more about it, and when it happens in your family or to someone you love I can guarantee you it's no laughing matter nor should it be on TV.

Dr Drew is not the problem, its people who are perfect and have never had to go through addiction of mental illness and have no compassion for those of us that do have problems.I've been in rehab twice and with Gods help I have been clean for 4 years.Comparing addiction to cancer is not possible,but mental ILLNESS is just that-an illness !!! I pray for those left to try to make sense of the most senseless of acts.Mindys pain is over but there are people out there hurting and we,as human beings, should do all we can to help them ... And FWIW,the gun did'nt kill Mindy,she could have just as easily O.D.ed. Any who gives a flip about the dog ??? We are talking about a human life ...

I'm sorry but I think it is awful of her to kill herself when she has a 10 month old and a 3 yr old. So selfish that she doesnt think how her action will affect her children for the rest of their lives. She owed it to them to try to seek help – instead of taking the easy way out. I thinmk she's pathetic for taking her own life.

And you obviously know nothing about mental illness. It's not a choice, a selfish act or taking the easy way out. The person with the mental illness cannot think properly and so in their mind, this is the only way to solve the situation and end the pain. May you or your family never have to deal with a mental illness.

Og course HAVING the illness is not a choice – Duh! But how you decide to handle it is a choice. If she started feeling suicidal she should've sought help, it was ready and available for her. She isn't a no-one who noone cared about. Yes we prolly cant understand because we not suicidal but at the same time we should understand it is not a heroic act and we should think of who she left behin – a 10 month old baby with no mother!

So what xyou're saying is anone who does smthn terrible who has a mental illness shouldnt be critisized. So The sandy schol masacre kis – it wasn't the poor shooter's fault RIP? NO! Even people with mental illness must accept some level of responsability for their actions! You cant walk around shooting people and then say 'it's ok – im depressed' even if you shoot yourself!

When I first heard about the program, I was suprised that someone with Dr. Drew's reputation would be involved with a show like this. These people have serious issues, putting them on and their problems on TV for the public's entertainment is not a good idea. Dr. Drew uses the example of cancer patients, but we don't put cancer patients and their treatment on TV for entertainment. Dr. Drew should be ashamed of himself for using sick people as props for his program.

People are making a big deal about Dr. Drew. The entire point is that these people are so f'd up when they get there and this proves how much they needed intervention. Sad thing is some walk away from the help. The help is needed a long time after the show. These problems do not just go away.

Let me guess, you were one of the people who thought the Connecticut massacre wouldn't have mattered if there were gun laws? That, the guy would've killed 22 kids with "bed sheets"? Get a brain.........

Interesting that Dr. Drew would say that if this were cancer, no one would be surprised about a death. That's true. But if we were talking about cancer, we would also expect treatment providers to tailor treatment to the individual. If one type of treatment didn't work, we'd expect them to try a different approach rather than blaming the patient for "failing at treatment". We'd also expect them to treat everything that was wrong with the person, not just part of it. But somehow, when the disease is addiction, we think it's ok for people to be sent back time and time again for 12 step based treatment even when it clearly isn't helping. We think it's fine to blame the sick person for the treatment failure–we're okay when they aren't even TOLD that there are other options which are equally or more effective! And we're okay when co-occurring mental illnesses such as depression aren't treated at all or are treated as "secondary" to the addiction. We don't bat an eye when Dr. Drew says things like "In my world, if a person doesn't do the 12 steps, there is no hope for them." This is like an oncologist saying: "In my world, if a patient doesn't respond to[insert name of chemotherapy drug], there is no hope for them." Why do we accept this? Why do we actually WATCH IT ON TV and call it entertainment?

Junkies die all the time, by choice. They became junkies by choice...they used to excess knowing it could lead to addiction. It's NOT a disease even if you might need a 12-48 step program then KEY, finally decide by choice to end the addiction. No 12 step program except a miracle of God will save you if you have stage 4 lung cancer even if you decide to be done with cancer for good dang it!

The saddest part of this whole thing is the fact that she didn't love her children enough to put them FIRST in her life! Her boyfriend, her fame and her pills were more important to her. Glad to hear someone else will be raising the children – she didn't deserve them.

Mental illness and addiction definitely had the upper hand in this sad story. McCready was ill equipped to love anyone, least of all herself. It seems unfair or unrealistic to say she didn't love her children enough.

I agree Tammy. If anything should have stopped her from killing herself, it would have been her children. But instead she choose to not only kill herself and leave her children without a mother, she decided to kill the dog as well. Then the family and friends say the children where the most important thing in her life. No. Drugs where more important to her than her kids. Wake up people.

The drug takes over a person's life...that is the nature of addiction...whether she loved her children or not has little to do with the end result. Alcohol and drug addiction lead to death, left untreated, either by one's own hand, by complications of the disease such as pneumonia, by someone else if the addict engages in truly risky behavior which is very often the case, or by overdose, a very typical end.

I have been at the point of killing myself. When you are there walking away from that place is the hardest thing you can ever do. It is not being selfish. No one decides screw it I think I'll just go kill myself never mind my kids and other family. I was thinking all of those people were better off without me and I was going to give them the best thing I possibly could because I was worthless. It certainly is not selfish thinking.

This makes one wonder what type of meds they had her on. There is overwhelming evidence that psyhiciatric drugs cause people's emotional issue to worse and many many suicides are the direct result of these drugs. It's very difficult to prove in court due to the deception behind this industry and the huge profits pharmacutical companies and phsychiatirsts rake in. I have had severe depression and other mental health issues throughout my life (I'm over 50) but I would NEVER take medications. I have seen what they do to other people I have known personally, and truth be known most people who opt to go this route end up on them all of their life and most and end up need needing to take multiple drugs often at the same time–one to offset the effects of the other.

I dont know the details of her case but would bet that she was on these drugs. The American Physciatric industry is in my opinion of one the least trustworthy out their. They sugercoat their words nicely though.

Many drugs prescribed to addicts and alcoholics to manage such co-morbidity as depression have led to suicidal thoughts in those taking the medication. Of course some suicides result. Ask to read about any medications recommended by a physician before taking them. Many have suicidal ideation as a possible side affect. Suicide being linked at leas in part to pharmaceutical side affects is more common than you may think.

Maybe just maybe she stopped taking her meds. That is very common. Treating all of these illnesses the same is the problem. There are 6 different types of ADD. Simply saying this kid has ADD put him on drug X is wrong. Meds work on specific parts of the brain. If you give a patient a drug that stimulates an overactive part or slows an under active part will not get the results you expect. The mind is the only part of the body Dr.s treat without looking at it and how it is actually working. This is changing thanks to Dr. Daniel Amen. If you are having mental problems please check into his work. It can be the difference of live and death for you.

My sister is bipolar and if she wasn't on medication, she would bring great harm to herself and others around her. It took, unfortunately, many years to find the perfect combination of drugs for her to be able to lead a normal life. She has been doing wonderfully for the past 3 years....but, will only continue to do so, as long as she stays on her medication. If not, her life and her family's will be insanely chaotic....so she needs medication if she wants peace in her life.

I wish there had been something someone could do to help MM deal in a more positive way with her depression. It's a shame she felt she had to have children as they too may have inherited her personality disorder and now they are orphans–I guess. I don't know if I ever read about the father of the oldest child. it's sad she killed the dog. I'm glad she didn't decide to kill alot people before she killed herself. Her situation certainly exposes the problem in helping potential mass killers by teaching them how to handle their mental instability.

It surprises me how many people think that having 5 of Dr. Pinski's patients die is a lot. I don't think it's a bad reflection on him at all, but should be a lesson to people just how dangerous the problems of addiction, depression and other mental health issues are. I've had occasions to work with people struggling with addiction and other mental health issues. Sadly, you get used to losing some of them over time.

Catch 22: tell somebody that they are powerless and the only way to get better is to accept powerlessness. When they don't get better, thinking oneself powerless can lead to suicidal despair. Not all that impressed by the amount of positive outcomes from 12 step based treatment programs. But is there anything better?

Although the stats say that if she didn't have a gun, she wouldn't have been successful. Suicide by gun is far more effective than other methods. That is comforting, because hopefully all the gun nuts will kill themselves off. If so, the majority of the population that does not own guns might get some peace.

They should not be creating reality shows based off people's health problems – celebrities or otherwise. It's supposed to be a private matter. They turned a very serious condition into a giant joke so that stupid fat Americans could be entertained by watching celebrities kill themselves. How fun.

The world is exhausted by entertainment exploitation. Celebrity Rehab, Intervention, Real Housewives (insert any city) are manipulated by producers to bring the most drama, collect the most viewers and in most cases it is at the expense of the participants. Is there a reason why support groups have "Anonymous" in their names?

ADDICTION is why the 5 people died. No one or nothing could make them stop their behavior. Blaming Dr. Drew is like blaming the weatherman for a crappy day. I have known several people who were working a good program, who suddenly felt like they couldn't do it any more and decided to end their own lives. If any of these people who are criticizing Dr. Drew had actually known someone with the disease of addiction, they wouldn't be so quick to judge.

Sick of hearing about this loser already. Tired of hearing her family and friends say how much her children meant to her. I guess they didnt mean to much to her since she killed herself and left them without a Mother. If there is one thing in the world that should keep you from killing yourself, its your kids. Then the dumb drug addict kills the dog. Should have just shot herself, why the dog. The world is better off with losers like her gone anyway.

Do you hear yourself talk? Would you talk about a family member this way? Someone died, gone forever, whether her or someone else, and you call the dead person a loser, you call someone with an illness a loser. Yes it is tragic but your comments are the problem with the internet, the keyboard courage you display and this whole freaking country addicted to watching others hurt. I wonder John, would you tell her kids she was a loser? would you walk right up to a family member without your keyboard and say, "Mindy was a loser" probably not. The real issue here is the system, and Dr, Drew, have we not had enough of him? he was part of a show that exploited people suffering, people with real illnesses, and he benefits from it, and then CNN thinks his comments post suicide are relevant. John, the way you write is horrible, and I wonder, would your reply, I am sure is coming, be stated directly to me, or anyone else, without the help of your computer?

What a compassionate, loving person you are, John. After reading this, I cannot even imagine you loving or caring for anyone. I feel terrible for your poor family who had to grow up with a challenged thug like you.

Exactly right. The show is what it is, they say flat out that if these people don't change what they are doing they will die from their addiction. That is the way addiction works and it doesn't matter if you are a celebrity or a drunk on the streets. The simple fact is that most rehab fails, addiction is a lot tougher than we are.

Therapy/Rehab are not and should not be spectator sports. I fail to see how trying to get straight and sober in front of a large audience could be successful. These shows are making $$ off peoples' pain and suffering. They are preying on people who are desperately seeking to recover lost fame and money. Watching these shows makes you almost as creepy as the people getting rich off them.

It is possible to recover. There is hope. Recovery does not bury things. The goal is to deal with problems and situations in the moment... to deal with life on life's terms. I have four years of sobriety now and I am very grateful.

Not to mention his blatant disregard for doctor-patient confidentiality. When these people die he spills the beans on everything that was confidential and entrusted in him... Clearly he like the spotlight too much to be a true doctor.

Really? Because most addiction programs have huge rates of failure – and death too. This is addiction, not twiddlywinks. Even the best programs have huge failure rates. It is what it is, it's what addiction is, and what addicts are.

Okay, is it just me or is Dr. Drew a gigantic scam artist. It is very obvious that what he is doing DOES NOT WORK!! Come on, 5 people that he "so-called counselled" are no longer with us. Get rid of him immediately!!

One would have to have the total of all patients treated by Dr. Drew to deterimine if five were a large percentage or not. However, many addicts die of their addiction despite repeated trips to rehab and ongoing therapy. From your stance, one would have to think that any doctor that has a patient that dies has no business being a doctor. If that is indeed the case, are we training one cancer physician for every cancer patient? They (and everyone else) are all going to die eventually, whether from cancer or other causes. This is not a valid point of view, Marv.

Alcoholics die everyday, unfortunately this is the cold hard fact. I've seen many people die to the disease in my 17+ years of sobriety. That's just the way it is unless you decide you are done and are WILLING to go to any lengths to achieve sobriety.

The only individual who can change an addict's behavior is that same addict. No-one can do it for them, no matter how hard they try. It is up to the person with the addiction to decide to change. It is about personal responsibility, and as we all know, not every addict is willing to take that responsibility.

Of course turning this tragedy into a negative story is what the media is best at doing. I mean they need people to go to this website so advertisers will pay big $ and they will get paid, right? Pathetic greed. How about all of the lives that have been saved as a result of this show? We are like the Roman Empire in it's last days of power.

What else do you expect from these so called celebrities? All entertainers that are poplar are druggies and worse. Only a minute few are not doing drugs. Time is so precious to them that they start out taking weak drugs to keep awake then slowly graduate to more powerful ones. I know from personal experience how it happens, I lost the wife of my life two years ago due to prescribed medication for her pain. She suffered from RSD. RIP my love!

Alcoholics and addicts die, thats what they do. Unless they can arrest that alcoholism/addiction on a daily basis. Recovery programs work for some, but there is a vast majority that either don't take it serious enough, or the program just doesn't take, and they usually live long, miserable lives, and die horrible deaths

You are so right on with that statement. Just like addiction to cigarettes, it is very very very difficult to kick the habit. I know because I quit smoking approximately seven times before I finally quit cold-turkey. Been off them for more than 35 years now and can honestly state that I have never felt better. It was sooooooo hard but you have to have will power to quit, no one can force you to quit.

As best as therapist/doctors/medications might be....unless someone wants to do all the work for recovery it won't happen. It's been said God helps those who help themselves, some can't handle all it takes to recover. There only escape they think is "to end it all".
We've lost so many great people due to their own decisions to end their pain either on purpose or through "accidental overdose", they want to feel no pain so they overdose themselves into oblivioun which results in their death. Soemtimes there are no answers.

This isn't surprising. The type of person who would go onto celebrity rehab would have the building blocks for a bad outcome. First, they must be an addict in the first place. Second, instead of truly seeking help for their addiction, they have chosen to out themselves in a high pressure, ego-centric situation instead of a safe, secluded loving environment meant for healing and introspection. It's the worst possible of scenarios. The people are not serious about getting help if their real priority is still seeking fame, and the show should be aware of this and ashamed of themselves for existing and capitalizing on others' vulnerabilities. It's disgusting and shameful. I refuse to watch reality TV which completely objectifies, romanticizes and promotes unhealthy stereotypes.

Well put! Dr. Drew should be ashamed of himself for cashing in on addiction. He should know better than anyone that going through rehab is bad enough but doing iit n front of the public is going to be next to impossible. Dr. Drew and the makers of his sorry show are just making money off of someones disease and justifying it in their own minds that they are doing this to help people and show how dangerous addiction is. Really Dr. Drew, go get in your porsche and drive home to your expensive house and go to sleep telling yourself that you do this for the people. NOT

Well Dr Drew... We know in medicine docs don't make money the way they used to... Apparently peeps think docs make "millions". Ignorance is bliss. Docs find other ways to make a buck to maintain food on the plate.

Never watched the show, aside from seeing advertisements on TV but we all know it's about ratings. Every reality show is semi-scripted and wild behavior is encouraged. Each time a "character' does something crazy, or in this case, commits suicide, headlines directly translatie into ratings. Follow the money.

I always thought the Celeb Rehab the show was totally irresponsible and pandered to the "stars" based on how much their antics ginned up ratings. It was not so much treatment as using them and it was pretty disgusting.

I have never doubted that an "addiction" (assuming it can be clinically defined!) is a MENTAL ILLNESS (although it is an ACQUIRED ONE through willing, knowing, and voluntary behavior!). However as long as addiction gets MIS-CLASSIFIED as a so-called "disease", for which the person with it does not have to accept responsibility for ACQUIRING IT, no progress will ever get made in helping people to overcome that which they have given themselves!

I once felt the same..growing up seeing billboards about addiction, however later in life I became that same person I once laughed at. After developing a muscle disease, i became chemically dependant on medication that resulted in me entering a rehab program to detox. The end result is addiction is a disease that is either psychologically or chemically induced. Therefore my friend, until you have walked in the shoes of others, do not come to opinionated judgements of others. Im sure you have your own skeletons in your closet of life.
SDF

Many doctors end up turning patients whomare in great pain into addicted patients. Once it happens it is devistating and sometimes impossible to stop. Mindy was addicted to oxycontin which is synthetic heroine and ten times stronger than heroine. Some people are predisposed and actually get hooked from the very first pill. If you have ever taken a drink or a pill you have taken a gamble. So get off the high and mighty. If you look deep enough, you WILL find someone in your own family with the same type of problem.

@Bill
Getting addicted to pain killers due to an injury is not the same as the disease addictive personality disorder. One is the simple physical addiction, and once withdrawls are over that is it for the most part. The other is a person who is never healed or better, just maintaining one day at a time as they say in AA>

Dr. Drew Pinsky is an evil man, a self-promoter, a lackey of pharmaceutical companies. It is time for CNN and all other media outlets to ignore this quack before he damages and kills other innocent victims.

Wow, Nate and McBluff are the real posers here. Dr. Pinsky has been nothing but honest in his assessments and prognoses. As Pinsky said, had these been people with cancer who had died, nobody would even bat an eye. Addictions to drugs not only kill their hosts but destroy every single relationship along the way. The sad part is that even people who have watched the show will continue to go out and toke up on the drug(s) of their choice and haven't learned anything at all. Don't blame the clinician, blame the addict who pulled the trigger/lit up/shot up, etc. We are ALL responsible for our own behavior.

Dr. Drew needs to take a good long hard look at himself and what he is doing. Comparing addicts – who all to a greater or lesser extent have the overlay of fame concentrating their problems – to cancer patients seems pretty ridiculous.

Dr. Drew's outcomes are not very good. As a professional who worked many years in clinical practice and counseling losing five in two years speaks to a failure. The key to overcoming any addiction is not within the treatment community–although tools and support may be found there. Change is found, to use a hackneyed AA phrase "Becoming sick and tired of being sick and tired." The second component is for the individual to find a price for behaviors that they are no longer willing to pay. An overlooked fact by those who propel the disease model is that the vast majority of those who experience drug or alcohol problems mature out of the behaviors–many without any professional intervention.

Celebrities have a particularly difficult path, as both lifestyle and personal expectations make the use of drugs and alcohol an accepted or compensatory choice. Celebrity does not make the person exceptional–underlying disorder or personality issues are the same as in the general population and "self-medication" rates are the same or greater. Making a media circus out of one's psychological difficulties is another sickness–one of a social type. Shame on those who position themselves to exploit such things to their own celebrity or profit...

Maybe it is time to allow celebrities the same privacy in medical care and treatment we would insist upon for ourselves and our families. As a bipolar adult, I find I function much better when the details of my life are kept between me and my therapist. I feel sad that fan and media pressure keeps so many from the healing they might accomplish if left alone to do it.

Not Drew's fault. Why would anyone be dumb enough to agree to rehab on a tv show. Your personal struggles are your own business, keep them private. I swear...despite all the money and fame, it is so NOT worth it to be a celebrity...most of them are so screwed up and screw their kids up even more.

#1, citation for your statistic please. #2, Obama doesn't create or pass laws (though he can approve a law once created by Congress). Congress and your state/local representatives create laws. Perhaps a trip back to the third grade would help. Not sticking up for reality TV, it has clearly fried the brains of people like you...

He shoots hios mouth off on gun control every chance he gets, why be mute on this? Why not have his aides come up with a plan for executive privelege to stop this slaughter of Obama voting celebrities?

Somehow I can't imagine that a therapeutic environment for a severely broken person would involve several million viewers tuning in to see how things are going. The whole premise of the show is abusive, demoralizing and opportunistic.

This really is a sad situation all the way around. I do honestly believe that Dr. Drew has profited off of peoples' misery in a very public way. The show exposes people at the height of their vulnerability, and having it televised obviously was not helpful for those who appeared. Dr. Drew has become richer because of this show, and it's obvious that he's used it to become more famous as well. At the same time, people who have appeared on the show have made choices. In the case of those five people, their choices led to their deaths. People can't just appear on a TV show for x amount of weeks and suddenly be cured or better. While the show did show the dangers of addiction, it likely also gave the false impression that it was the cure for these peoples' problems. It wasn't, and Dr. Drew should know better.

She had a serious bipolar disorder with major depressive episodes, but Dr. Drew did not seem to be treating her for her chemical imbalance of the brain, but he sensationalized her addictions and self medication. Drew is against every drug known to man but sometimes the depression is such that you must take a pill or 4. I have bipolar and I am a recovering alcoholic. Doctors who work only in addiction claim that I should never take any meds. But I do and I need to as I have gone off the deep end several times. I see a shrink and a therapist. I don't drink or take any other drugs as my prescribed meds work. It takes time to see which SSRI or antidepressant will work. I also take klonipin due to panic disorder. I had to fight to get that as many in the recovery community are opposed to any benzo or addictive meds. On the other hand I refuse opioid pain meds for my knees. You still have to monitor you addictions so you are not falling into the rabbit hole again. If she had gotten the correct type of help maybe she might have pulled through this.

What?! You mean a television show that cynically used human beings' pain and struggles as fodder for public spectacle and profit didn't work to the benefit of its victims, er, participants? Say it ain't, Joe. Say it ain't so!

I'm bipolar, not addicted to anything, and often suicidal...and her suicide is NOT something to be made fun of...but I've got a sense of humor and God of all Gods...your post was pretty funny. I needed the smile.

I suffer from borderline personality, so this story hit home for me, especially with us being around the same age. Not enough attention is given to mental illness in this country obviously. There is such a stigma surrounding it. But same here, your comment made me LOL 🙂

First point, her sons are half-brothers; they had different fathers. Second point: she was ill; mental al disorders and addiction need to be recognized and treated as DISEASES. If there is blame to be placed, put it on society for being so willfully ignorant, and on insurance companies for refusing to acknowledge anything that can't be diagnosed with a microscope or an x-ray.

The ignorance demonstrated by the posts here is appalling. Dr. Pinsky, like all therapists who work with people suffering from chemical dependency, knows full-well the percentage of patients who succeed in remaining sober for an appreciable period of time is lower than they'd like. But they also know there ARE some people who DO recover, and that gives them the strength to continue to do this incredibly difficult and frustrating job.

You cannot blame a television show like Celebrity Rehab for the deaths of certain people. Drug/alcohol addictions are diseases. Depression and other mental illnesses are other diseases. These particular stars not only reach out to Dr.Drew because of his celebrity, but because he is a therapist, they feel they can trust him. I've followed the show since it started. I thought I knew about drugs, alcohol, and mental illness before. But watching the show, seeing what people go through, made me understand it all a little bit better.
I watched Jeff Conway struggle with his addiction. I watched Mike Starr & Joey Kovar do the same. They have to WANT to stop! Anyone can go through a program, but the WANT is what they need. If they don't want it bad enough, they'll continue to go on the path that they're so used to. Change is ALWAYS hard! For someone who is dependent on drugs & alcohol...it is 100 times harder.
I like Dr.Drew. I think his show is knowledgeable for those of us who don't understand addictions. FYI...he also encourages those who make it through his program/show to continue with treatment and follows up with them.

RIP Mike Starr :(. I am with Jerry Cantrell on this... addiction is a disease, a personal one, and it should not be used for our entertainment. Dr. Drew should see these people personally, not on national TV, that is, if he really had their best interests at heart. I know he's a celebrity doc, but come on now...

A disease starts from within the body. Addiction starts from outside and is a habbit... Drugs have been around long enough for people to know and understand what they can do to you. Drugs you can only blame yourself and not the doctor... I smoked for years and it's nothing but a nasty habbit and not a disease. We always look for an excuse for what we knowly do to our body and mind.

The obvious reason for the television show is to show people how destructive drug addictions can be. If it has even prevented one kid from trying heroin, the positive results have far outweighed any loss of privacy these pseudo-celebrities have signed up to be a part of. There are choices involved all-around for everyone, and the one I -don't- see as a bad one is airing this show to deter future drug addicts.

Addiction is not a disease. It's a theory at best and an unproven theory at that. Dr. Pinsky is no more responsible for these five deaths than any of us are. People make choices in life and drug/alcohol addiction related deaths happen every day. In 1956 the American Medical Association voted to define alcoholism as a medically treatable disease so that such treatment by physicians would become eligible for payment from third parties (insurance companies). The decision was made on self-serving economic rather than scientific grounds. What this article fails to mention are how many of Dr. Pinsky's celebrity patients may still be alive today "due" to his intervention and treatment. To say any of the mentioned five deaths has any "link" to Dr. Drew is completely false and unsubstantiated.

If a surgeon has 5 patients die post OP within 1 year the medical credentialing board would initiate an investigation, and more than likely, suspend their license. This is a conflict of interst for the good doctor as I see it. I have yet to hear how many people are saved from watching his show, i.e., I was going to do drugs and then, while watching his show, decoeded to get help.

Her death has nothing to do with Dr. Drew. The death rate against addicts is high, pair that with other mental instability, a history of suicide attempts, depression directly linked to the suicide of a loved one...she didn't stand a chance. as a matter of fact, I called it when her "soulmate" died. She'd be next.

You are an ignorant, hateful little man (emphasis on the word,"little" more than likely). You probably go to church and claim to love God but you don't. Those people were somebody's children. People loved them and grieve them. Your day will come when you will have to answer for who you are. I doubt there will be anyone to grieve for you when that happens.

You have got serious issues, I hope and pray you realize that a person's soul is the most valueable thing you own. A person died here, a human being who had some problems. God died for all of us including her and I promise you it does not make him happy that she felt she had to leave this world this way. Ye without sin cast the first stone.

If a surgeon has 5 patients die post OP within 1 year the medical credentialing board would initiate an investigation, and more than likely, suspend their license. This is a conflict of interst for the good doctor as I see it. I have yet to hear how many people are saved from watching his show, i.e., I was going to do drugs and then, while watching his show, decoeded to get help.

The 3 year mortality rate after inpatient rehab is approximately 7%. So some of these people were going to die. It is a fact of addiction.
Berg, JE.Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry. 2003; 5(4): 164–167.

Fair enough comment about the 7 out of 25 mortality rate. I infact think recovery is an intimate affair that has no place in the public view. I would even go so far as so say it should be "Annonymous."

Your 18.5% stat is not relevant. All of these "Celebs" died doing the things they loved. Drowning, phenomena.... come one nothing related to the show at all. Besides look at it this way... one less crazy drug addicted criminal on the streets 🙂

And this should serve as valid proof of what a sham doctors like Dr. Drew and Dr. Phil are and how sensationalism is what they actually care about in such matters. They both lack the professional skills to actually help people and merely wish to exploit them.

With 5 deaths in 2 years, Dr. Drew needs to go home and think of a new career. He is worthless in the present occupation.

Dr. Phil is a sham he is not a medical doctor. Dr. Drew is a board certified Medical Doctor of internal Medicine. So I agree with half of what you say, but Dr. Drew has an actual background in medicine. As to him having 5 people die in his care, no one actually died in his care. Having a brother who has had a good decade plus with drug and alcohol problems, it is a heck of a lot harder than you think getting clean and dealing with all the issues that arise. People who have never been through what goes on between families and those that are addicted to drugs/alcohol should leave comments about others in their minds. Because it makes you look like a jack wagon when stupid things are said, unless that is what you were trying to do.

Dr. Phil is not a "sham" because he is not a medical doctor. He has a doctorate (PhD) in clinical psychology. I don't personally like him (I don't like Dr. Drew either) but not having an MD does not make him a sham. Incidentally, PhD clinical psychology programs are harder to get into than are MD programs.

are also greedy people...they can turn your life into a business for themselves. i do not trust psychiatrists and psychologist to save my life. If your are in a postion where you feel you may need one i would be careful....psychiatrists and psychologist are also capable of screwing with you head and you wind up more depressed then when you went to the office.

Dr. Drew is a serious guy running a business that lacks passion in dealing with its patients. it is time for him to review its hiring criteria and the company policy. Mental illness in these individuals seeks anchors and support to compensate for their loss of control. unfortunately medicine is not the only solution but passion and love comes first. i found this to be true after many years of managing a hotel in dwntwn Los Angeles with over 100 addicted mentally challenged tenants.

Why is everyone getting so upset over a news article? Half of you say you don't care and comment and the other half of you are attacking people who comment with a different opinion. All of you say you have better things to do, then why are you arguing over a random news story lol.

To suggest that shows like celebrity rehab. are somehow helpful to these addicts is absolutely ridiculous. Much of the reasons these people are addicts relate to their "fame" and the problems, temptations, etc. associated with it. To think that somehow putting them on display while they battle their addictions is anything other than a ratings grab, is naive. As a mental health professional myself, I think Dr. Drew is a morally bankrupt opportunist. The whole premise of celebrity rehab is based on ratings and money for Dr. Drew. It is certainly not based on genuinely trying to help these people. Dr>

Maybe this is the last we will hear of this train wreck (McCready). I am so tired of seeing and hearing stories about the weak-minded. You're an addict because you WANT to be. I do feel sorry for her children coming from such a pitiful gene pool.

Whilst I have no sympathy for those that become addicted to illegal substances, or even cigarettes or booze, as they make the first choice to try them in the first place, even I know that your statement is total nonsense.

Actaully, you coudln't be more wrong. Maybe you need to actaully read up on the subject so you don't sound so completely stupid. I would go into detail, but you and others like you need to learn to actually research stuff.

Maynard – Actually, what you and most don't understand about addicts is that most of them have a very real chemical imbalance in certain areas which lead to very real diseases like obsessive compulsive, depression or bipolar. If you aren't like this, it is hard to understand. When every day, you feel like life is too much to handle and you can't understand how other people do it, and then you find this medication (legal or not) that actually makes you feel normal, or God forbid, even good and happy, it gets hard to go back to the way you felt before. Not everyone gets the right diagnosis and so they end up self medicating. Sometimes, addiction starts by just trying to live a normal life. By finding a way to get out of bed everyday and face the world. Not everyone is as lucky and well balanced as you claim to be.

Psych meds do work- often they need adjustment and they're part of an overall plan usually involving counseling- not a fix it all. I've seen it work with my step father who is bi-polar. Perhaps they're too quickly prescribed now adays but there is a need for them.

I hate how the media is spinning this as some curse of the Dr. Drew show. The fact is, he STARTED his practice, and his show, to expose this real problem in our society. Of addiction and it's consequences. Her death has nothing to do with being on his show. It is a fact of reality. Happens every day. Most aren't spotlighted. Leave Celebrity Rehab out of it. I guess Dr. Drew proved his point. Drugs and alcohol DO kill. That is the only point here.

Rehabilitation has limited success in the first place. Doing it in front of millions of people is bound to have negative consequences. These people do not need even more pressure while they are trying to recover from addiction. This is pure exploitation for monetary gain and fame. Watching someone go through rehab should not be entertainment. Dr. Drew is a medical doctor who exploited his patients' pain for fame and money. He should have his license revoked.

Gotta disagree. Dr. Drew is a reefer mad charlatan who focuses on 'substance abuse' to the exclusion of real mental health/illness. He's an idealogue who is making money from an entertainment 'reality show'. He's lost 5 'patients' because all he is so focused on 'substance abuse' and not on the underlying causes of substance abuse. His defense of his show shows he is an idiot: sure, if he was treating cancer patients, some would be prone to die. McReady was clearly depressed ('troubled') and was suffering from a recent loss. Psychiatric professionals would have at least asked her how she's feeling. Recent losses are RED FLAGS for suicides and other impulsive actions.

A 'real doctor' would have known this.

I'd like Dr. Drew taken off the air because he is a mind-numbing charlatan that is putting sick people at rick.

Huh? Unless she was addicted to lead, this was not an addiction death. How can it be more simple than that for you before you self righteously start rolling out the no morals, ethics etc judgement? I salute him and the celebrities that show how terrible drug addiction IS. If you want to start pounding on a reality shows, why don't you start with the trolling for pediphiles "Toddlers in Tiaras" or something that is of no use whatsoever.

I think we need more information and some deeper investigation behind the scenes, although it is obvious that such events may occur more frequently in such extreme ambiances. For the moment it is difficult to judge.
Anyway, I do not like people like Dr Drew: he publicly exploits people's addiction and insanity to increase audience (and money.)
Sorry CNN, think about it: he does not have a very ethical behavior.

Wow, lots of judgmental "Christians" on this page running their mouths about how this woman is burning in hell and suffering. Obviously she was suffering here and If YOUR God punishes someone with mental health disorders then you can keep him. Also, I wish people would stfu about Lindsay Lohan and let that girl get her life together (which she seems to be working on so give her a little credit). The funny thing is that anyone who can sit here and pass judgements onto a celebrity is not a human being and certainly not a real christian with a free pass into heaven. Reading the Bible doesn't make you perfect, especially when you are using it to condemn others. As a matter of fact if you're doing that, maybe you should go back and reread that Bible, because you missed the whole point.

Just because someone has an MD does not make them immune to selling us false information. I don't think Dr. Drew does this often, but Dr. Oz certainly does. It's actually quite scary the lack of scientific reasoning Dr. Oz displays on a regular basis.

It's obvious Dr. Drew is not a doctor, he's an entertainer. If he were a doctor, he wouldn't be dropping these patients and moving on to the next show. This guy should have his license suspended. Yes, he will claim he is in contact with them from time to tome, but you can tell his focus is elsewhere. I think the show is actually having a reverse effect – Dr. Drew has people air out their dirty laundry on national TV and then when they relapse, they are too depressed because of all the national exposure. These shows need to be banned. They are entertainment, not treatment and we are using/paying these celebs who are down on their luck for entertainment and you can tell, it's obviously not working. Heck it doesn't seem like Dr. Drew is even there half the time. This is a true travesty of making a buck rather than taking care of people who are in dire need.

And who watches "reality" shows? I have better things to do like write poems, play music, play with my son, race go-carts... Who cares about these puffed up people that get on drugs and off themselves? Not me...

Why is everyone getting angry or blaming Dr. Drew? Working in the mental health field, it is not surprising when deaths occur. Addiction is a terrifble disease and when it is combined with mental illness, it makes it ten times harder to get better. You cannot force someone with addiction or mental illness to take the treatment recommendations. All you can do is provide them with the tools, but ultimately it is their decision to make the change. Whether or not these individuals were on Dr. Drew's show, they would of still been spiraling out of control.

If she was so worried by how the public saw her, why in the world would she go into a 'celebrity rehab' thing where she knew it was on television? Just doesn't make sense to me. Maybe someone should look into why all these folks are doing themselves in after being in Dr. Drew's care. Seems somewhat sinister.

Dr. Drew is a quack and he kills people to make money doing a ridiculous reality TV show. They need to take him off the air.
What a sad tragedy. Rehab is the only business I know of that can kill people and have NO responsibility for the outcome.

Can we see a comparison of the 5 deaths in 5 years against alternate data sets? Traditional programs? Intervention? Self Help? Not saying the show isn't pathetic, but how lethal is it compared to what else is out there?

Wow, it amazing sycophants like you mentioned the dog first and then the kids. I am so sick of you bloggers who have an opinion about the faults of everyone else life simply because the camera is not on your landfill of a life. A person died and you don't know here mental state. People have become nothing more than self-righteous, judgmental, venomous cowards. This is why I'm pro-choice. Some ppl don't need to be born.

As the husband of a Bi-Polar wife, that has attempted to kill herself a few times; Yes, mental illness makes one very selfish. If this singer had a mental illness, she did not do this to herself though. Addiction can also come from the mental illness. Some get addicted to drugs, alcohol, or just spending money. Anything to make you feel better for a little bit, and if you can't you don't want to be alive. You don't really care what others think.

I'm somewhat lucky, that my wife has been mostly spending money to make her feel better. We may no longer have much money, but that is better than her drinking or using drugs.

Not that it's Dr. Drew's fault. Who knows if anyone could have helped this young lady reverse the course of her life but, really, Dr. Drew is such a light-weight. I can't bear to listen to his syrupy, whinny, quizzical voice. He sounds like he is reciting questions and answers from a psych 101 book. How did he get into the position that he is in? Where is Dr. Phil when we need him? There’s no comparison between the two. Drew is so focused on the celeb factor. He’s a mess.

Carla, you're right. But, Dr. Phil will tell you he doesn't have a medical degree and he does have a PhD. Yes, there is a difference. But you can't discount one for the other. Both, worked hard for their education and deserve credit for what they earned.

Agreed BC. Let's hope Johnny never has a family member of someone he loves who becomes addicted to "illegal" anything. Actually more people die now a days from the stuff right in the medicine cabinet or the alcohol they force down their throats. How about some compassion?

OR....maybe it's time profit-driven 'psychological exploitationists' like Dr. Drew Pinhead and Dr. Phil McGod get their shows banned by the FDA as being toxic and hazardous to your health. Those two clowns are lethal and only care about one thing...revenue. Dr. Phil's show is a 60 minute sales pitch for.......Dr. Phil books, videos, T-shirts and his son's publishing company.

But as long as "We the People" are stupid enough to keep watching these idiots, they'll continue to do far more harm than good and makes millions in the process.

Don’t’ you think that’s a bit harsh? How many times have you seen or heard people make fun of the loveable drunk or seen it depicted in tv? I’m a tad young for this, but there was Otis Cambell the town drunk on Andy Griffith. At least w/ Dr. Drew and Dr. Phil, they discuss the seriousness of the issue and the hearts they break, dreams they crush, and lives they destroy. Addiction happens to many, many people.

there are two types of drugs use. recreational and medical. a person who is depressed like mindy shouldn't be in rehab taking drugs like oxycotin or any ant-depresent drug because she is weak and cannot handle the stress in reality. in war soldiers take meth to stay awake and fight 24 hours. with rehab people who are depress get withdrawal crash plus facing their depressing 'reality'...so rehab cause the to suicide...those people with depressing reality are better off on the drug or any other drug cold turkey is dangerous. and deadly consequence. people don't need shrinks with tese bi-polar or manic depressive. depression is condition state of consicious in response to environment al 'reality' not an illness.

I'm not blaming Dr Drew, just his decision to broadcast these people and their problems to the entire world. Yea sure they probably made income off the show, but in the end their recovery suffered from the Jerry Springer mentality this show attracted.

Like it's not a legitimate question? In under five years since the show premiered, five people have died. That's five people under Dr. Drew's "care" that are now dead. He's not at fault - I'm not willing to make that leap yet - but there's a fair question, and it should be asked of Dr. Drew, if he thinks that going through rehab in such a public way is a hindrance to recovery.

For several years, I was addicted to the smell of fresh lemons, the sound made by hummingbird wings and Bumblebee Tuna. It was only when these medical experts from the TeeVee box started talking in their condescending tones to us under-people that I was able to fight back and claim victory. One day, I just turned them off and it was like walking down freedom road. If you are reading this, you can be convinced that you have a mental ailment. Then, you can be further roped into meds and payments. That is why Dr. Dru (sounds a lot like Dr. Dre) is on the TeeVee. He is part of the military, industrial, pharmacological complex. But the people are fighting back. You will see their logo. It says "moron rape." You see it more and more these days.

The only way to prevent these tragedies is NEVER touch drugs. Thank God I never did. I am amazed every time I go to a doctor, no mater if its the flu or ear ache or muscle pain, the amount of medication they try to prescribe. They suggested surgery for an itching eye for Gods sake. But the bottom line is that if you are lucky enough to reach young adulthood and dint get wasted in alcohol and drugs in high school and college, you probably has the maturity to see what alcohol and drug abuse does to people. I have tqo college kids and I pray and preach every day that they learnt something from me. If they didnt, thats their choice. No one has ever made an addict an addict, they did it to themselves.

Great message but you should have spent a few of those drug free hours on how to string together a grammaticly correct paragraph. LOL. All in good fun....I commend your path and yours should be first choice but we also have to have an action plan for those who have fallen. We can rescue many of them as well.

@Veronica – I never did either. Then I was diagnosed with two serious chronic diseases which literally altered my life forever. I'm only 32 years old, but have been on numerous daily medications, including painkillers, for the past decade. I have tried everything under the sun, from various "specialists" at world-renowned facilities, to a Chinese herbalist, to water therapy, to reiki. NOTHING helps me. If it were not for Vicodin, I would not be able to function even as well as I do. So, yeah. Bottom line, you cannot speak in generalizations til you walk in another person's shoes.

rehab are just money making scams. they don't want you to quit so you keep coming back pay them thousands for just locking you in room or something or quitting cold turkey, people who have the will to quit don't need rehab. clinics, don't quit unless you want to quit.

Says a person who never had a problem with addiction. Going cold turkey kills people to, in order to get clean you need a medical staff behind you. Recovery is one of the hardest things to do. Addiction isn't something you can kick in a weekend

I went to rehab in 2007 for booze. There were about 60-80 people that were there during my stay for a variety of reasons, from booze to heroin to pills obtained legally from a doctor. 5 of them are not currently dead, and 2007 was over 5 years ago. So I was in a situation with more people a longer period of time ago, and 5 of us did not wind of dead. Which is why I am curious as to Dr Drew's defense in which he distances all blame from himself for his irresponsible, exploitative actions of weak people, and puts it all on people incapable of defending themselves in the throes of the current situation they are in.

Dr. Drew's addiction is narcissism, and his god complex does not allow him to see this.

@Tony Aquavelva. You must've been in the most successful rehab in the history of the world congrats! Incidentially I know five people that went to rehab that all died within the first five years (1 killed himself) (2 O.D.) 2 just natural causes. Not that I'm calling your story B.S. I'm just shocked that you kept up with all the 60-80 people you went to rehab with (even though you don't know the total number) and they all kicked their collective habits and wanted to be friends with other addicts with different addictions and were not fearful that your cravings would trigger theirs amazing! The fact of the matter is Dr. Drew like any other rehab they get them off the substance it's the addict's job to stay off. Kudos to you for doing your job, shame on you for blaming a Dr. for an addict's failure.

great point and thanks for the personal insight – i was curious to see what the national average was but this seems unusually high – these people are not invited to the show for treatment, they are invited to be our entertainment, like slaves during Roman times...shame on everybody involved in this show....

That's a lot of people who would have died within a 5-6 year period. I am going to have to say you are not telling the truth on that one. First off, how would you even get to know that many people during rehab. Second, it would be pretty tough to get that info since hospitals don't release information readily like that. Third, calling Dr. Drew someone who has a God like complex just shows that you are a little on the non social side and you aren't telling the truth here.

Maybe these celebrity addicts don't appreciate the damage airing their personal struggles on reality TV can do to themsleves, but Dr. Drew should have. He should have his license revoked. After all, he took the Hippocratic oath to "first do no harm". He harmed these people – he should go!! I've heard him comment during other broadcasts related to news events where he's got it all figured out before they even know "who done it". His comments are judgmental, conclusory, and based on little first-hand knowledge of the facts. How can he possibly know what is going on in the mind of someone he's never met? He's part of the lynch mob mentality ala Nancy Grace and a disgrace to his profession. He doesn't help anyone!!! Why do people watch his brand of psycho-babble self aggrandizing garbage anyway?

I agree Dr Death. Gets a check for sensationalism. Did not help. Described the water. He relies on disgruntled family members. Undiagnosed. Yeah right, oh please help them. Stigma and Dr Drew. No wonder she died Dr Death. Did you get a raise?

I agree completely. Pinsky is a quack who targets vulnerable people whose celebrity and addictions he can exploit for his own personal gain. He has no business treating addicts when he is such an unqualified doctor. CNN should fire Pinsky and do an expose on his rehab scam. The network is just as guilty in these deaths as the quack they hired .

I don't understand the point of this story. It seems as if the reporter is back-handedly trying to blame the TV show for their deaths as if 5 people out of all the people that have gone through the program is an incredibly high number of deaths. If you counted all the people who have died from drug overdoses or suicides or misadventure even after going through rehabs several times, you could populate a major U.S. city. The problem there of course is one cannot get those statistics due to health privacy restrictions.

I agree Dr Death. Gets a check for sensationalism. Did not help. Described the water. He relies on disgruntled family members. Undiagnosed. Yeah right, oh please help them. Stigma and Dr Drew. No wonder she died Dr Death. Did you get a raise?

One of these items does not fit with the others ... guess: Dr. Kavorkian, Dr. Drew, Death, a cute Kitten. Sigh...it's such a shame that for people to see Dr. Drew as the charlatan he really is, 5 people from the show have had to die.

RIP Miondy. chronic depression all by itself is debilitating and chorosive. Over time "vfriends" and family tune out or turn off, withdrawing themselves ("snap out of it, get over it") leaving a person more isolated and convinced s/he is worthless, n ot deserving of the time, effort, space or oxygen. Then, at the bottom of the deep black well of despair, s/he says "I'm DONE." indy reached that point and HAD to end the pain.

though i dont completly knock the 12 step program and the commercial rehabs that support it,the truth of the matter is that it doesnt work for most people. it works for only 5 to 10 percent of the people that go. it gives addicted people false hope and a great amount of shame for those that relapse. recovery is very personal in the sence that what works for one person doesnt work for another. after years of struggling with addiction it was the moderate use of marijuana that worked for me,and it has worked for years,along with meditation and anti deppresants. doctors need to take the time to look at idividual treatment for each person instead of sending everyone to 12 step meetings.

Not that I care at all but I don't think any less of the bunch would be dead if the show hadn't existed. These people were afflicted with addiction and depression far before they came on this show. It's possible this show even saved lives, though I don't really believe that.

True Daniel..DR. Drew is a clown, and he is the one who is probably prescribing that pills. People just Google"Law suit against Prozac". Dr. Drew you should be ashamed..You know about addiction????Do you think that addicts does not know what is going to happen to them..They know DR. Clown, but sometimes they do not care, they don"t need idiots like you to tell them..You should be a doctor not TV star..Shame on you...

You got that right dude. People act like death, dying, drugs and mental illness are some kind of new phenomena, when in fact this stuff has been going on forever. This board is just another example of the feminization and pussification of America. I'm moving to western Australia to get away from this crap..

I understand the sentiment but you're letting your emotion cloud your reason here. Drugs aren't anywhere near the top killers here in the US. According to the CDC, for 2010 it goes like this (starting with #1)

I forgot to paste the numbers but I should point out there's a huge different between #1, heart disease (597,689) and #10 suicide (38,364). I don't think you can post links here but it's easy enough to find this information - that's what the internet is for, after all.

The answer is Jesus, nothing will do but Jesus, I don’t see Dr Phil or Opera or all those %^$#@%$@%$#% doing anything useful but doing money and going on Rehab is another BIG joke they only suck money and let you go worst then before , and they end up like this lost soul.. and u don’t need to reply cose after writing this I won’t even care to come back and see any replies 😉

So let me try to understand. The answer to addiction is surrendering to Jesus? So that Jesus can save you from yourself? I guess that could make sense if you believe that heaven and hell where deliberately created by God so he could eventually save us all by sacrificing himself to himself for the violation of rules created by himself, to appease himself so he can forgive us/himself….? What?

The funny thing is youre right in the sense of an addict trading in party time for community service time with the reality being the good karma would be helpful in replacing the addiction but unfortunatelty the stewards of Jesus's message have destroyed the credibility of the intent.

Sory Jesus does not work..I can attest. My ex who was a very successful comercial realestate developer started on the slipery slope of snorting a bit of coke with his realestate buddies to celebrate closing a deal. Within a year he was a full blown crack addict and everything he had worked so hard for was gone. He tried rehab so many times I have lost count. So I being from a religious background thought I know what will hel him..I have to get him into the chirch...Well he got right into it..was baptized and waiving his hands in praise every Sunday and twice throught the week. Meanwhile stealing annd pawning everything we owned to get his crack...he still does this every week..praising God and smoking his crack. Meanwhile I have left his sorry hole and the church for good. It would make me vomit in my mouth to see it going on every week. Such a crock.

BY THE WAY A COMMENT WAS MADE THAT DR. DREW AND DR. MCGRAW ARE NOT REAL MD'S.
TDr. Drew (David Drew Pinsky, M.D.) is indeed a real doctor, the following is a list of his credentials:

-BA Amherst College
-MD University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine of USC
-Residency Internal Medicine, Huntington Memorial Hospital
-Board Certified, American Board of Internal Medicine
-Board Certified, American Board of Addiction Medicine
-Certified member of American Society of Addiction Medicine since 1990
-Member of American College of Physicians
-Licensed Physician and Surgeon in the State of California since 1985 BUT CORRECT IN THE FACT THAT MCGRAW IS NOT A MD.

Pinsky is a quack whose malpractice kills people. WAKE THE HELL UP and stop worshiping this narcissistic moron who preys upon depressed people at their lowest moments. What Mindy and the others needed was a doctor who cared more about their well-being than he did about using them for ratings. Instead, they got ensnared by Pinsky, who is nothing but a star-**cker who made a name for himself off the backs of fallen celebrities. It's time for CNN to get rid of him before he kills again.

I agree Dr Death. Gets a check for sensationalism. Did not help. Described the water. He relies on disgruntled family members. Undiagnosed. Yeah right, oh please help them. Stigma and Dr Drew. No wonder she died Dr Death. Did you get a raise?

Good lord deb, are you a robot or a retard? How many of the same, pointless comments can you makein a 4 hour period? On another note, why was Rodney on "celebrity" rehab? He was far from a celebrity. Nothing more than a thug that deserved to get the crap beat out of him. Then he cries the race card. The lapd is smarter than you think. Give a ghetto junkie alot of money and let nature take its course. They won! What did everybody think would happen? He would donate it to charity? All the drugs and alcohol you need to kill yourself so we dont have to hear/see you again. Well played!

I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT DR. DREW IS RESPONSBLE FOR THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE PASSED AWAY THAT WERE ON HIS SHOW. THESE PEOPLE MADE THE DECISION TO GO ON THE SHOW. THEY ALSO MADE THE DECISION TO TAKE THEIR OWN LIVES IN SOME FORM OR OTHER. YOU CAN ONLY HELP PEOPLE SO MUCH AND ULTIMATELY IT IS UP TO THEM TO FOLLOW THROUGH. TO BLAME SOMEONE ELSE FOR WHAT OTHER PEOPLE CHOSE TO DO IS ALLOWING THAT PERSON A SCAPEGOAT. I FEEL BAD FOR EVERYONE OF THOSE FAMILIES THAT LOST LOVES ONES. I ALSO WILL KEEP THEIR CHILDREN IN THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS. DR. DREW YOU WILL ALSO BE KEPT IN THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS TO CONTINUE TO HELP THE PEOPLE WHO TRUELY WANT IT AND WILL STICK WITH IT. GOD BLESS..

If Dr. Drew was any good at being an MD and at running a rehab, he would be doing so. Instead, he's got a tv show where he "treats" patients. How many more have to die before people realize that this man is just another of the greedy people looking to make money off the suffering of others?

fist of all don;t do your rehab with Dr Drew....his show come before treatment....second of all don;t listen to conservative about your addiction. They will only make you fill worst than you already do....they are idiot with no ideal, that addiction is a medical condition. Not a life style choice!
fine a program that will make you work a program outside of the lime light,,,as for Dr Drew you suck....I have been though rehab before. not one of the people that i went though rehab with died with in the first 3 years.

I've been clean for 10 years and have seen may addicts die clean and dirty. Addiction can wreck your health and shorten your life even if you do clean up. People who are actively using can OD or become victims of violence.

Speaking as someone who has been there, the only winning move with drugs is not to play the game.

I liked his show and I learned from it. He is absolutely correct that it brings awareness. Who cares if he makes money. Everyone makes money. He's a doctor. What are you, jealous or something? If he wanted to make money you would know it immediately, he would do what Dr. Phil does.

The dude just talks for a few minutes on HLN and you're acting like he's got his own informercials and merchandise, "Dr. Drew Anti-Addiction Super Multivitamins." The man barely had any exposure whatsoever until this out-of-the-blue, untested subject matter, reality show came out.

Loveline is a radio program and Dr. Drew was not famous. Of course he is an addiction specialist. What does this have to do with my point regarding people accusing him of being a money-grubbing fraud? Why are you directing your response at my knowledge instead of making an actual point?

Honestly these forums are turning into trash, worse than the Foxnews ones. Not a single comment that isn't irrationally negative.

Dr Drew was molested and is angry. I agree Dr Death. Gets a check for sensationalism. Did not help. Described the water. He relies on disgruntled family members. Undiagnosed. Yeah right, oh please help them. Stigma and Dr Drew. No wonder she died Dr Death. Did you get a raise?

no one forced drugs or alcohol down her throat, this was her choice and no one else's. I'm just thankful her children were not in the house with her because they would be gone as well because Thats what selfish "blame the world for your issues" people do

There you go. I was scrolling down for some truth. Going on any TV show to share your grief is the stupidest thing one can do. Dr. Phil and Dr. Drew are pretty weird people. It's so ironic that these guys who share a lot of good advice aren't able to do so without exploiting the people they're trying to help.

I agree Dr Death. Gets a check for sensationalism. Did not help. Described the water. He relies on disgruntled family members. Undiagnosed. Yeah right, oh please help them. Stigma and Dr Drew. No wonder she died Dr Death. Did you get a raise?

A beautiful girl nice voice w/two children why she did'nt receive mental therapy good enough to stabilize her is beyond human concience, if mental health profesional r unable to do so they should say so and stop taking money and reimburse money taken.

And the worst part is that Dr. Drew FLAT OUT STATES that what probably pushed her over the edge was public knowledge of her issues. How can it not occur to him that his show paraded here before a national audience? I honestly think he means well, but those shows don't convince the ignorant that these people have an illness. It's nothing more than a circus sideshow that, IMHO just increases the stigmatization.

Not when you exploit them for money Dr Drew. Wash her laundry in public for monetary gain. That is not how you help people! You used her. That should have been kept private, even thou she was willing, you have taken advantage of her.

It was being afraid of being on TV. That's why it's extremely rare that people who aren't on TV ever commit suicide. It's something the television industry really needs to look into. I'd never recommend anybody get into the television industry since it's pretty much the only place you see people taking their own lives.

PPL R DUMB
I strongly suggest you get help. In the meantime.... public exposure of anyone's mental illness can only have negative results. At least this woman did not choose to take her babies with her which is to her credit. Also, any rehab that includes a twelve step program is likely to fail. Being encouraged to believe that one is "helpless" against their "disease" does not encourage recovery which is evident by the recidivism of AA. It does not work! What should be done is to empower people to fight their own addiction and praise and support them when they do. This is a very sad story and I pray for her children and family.

The show Rehab is about people with addiction problems. Addictions can cause death, like a drug or an alcohol addiction. So drug addicts die more often then people who are not addicts. So if you have a show full of drug addicts in it, that means that everyone in that show is bound to die soon. So it has nothing to do with the show. It's just that drug addicts die faster.

I read somewhere that there was some deaths at some other rehab facility he was managing. Like, clearly there was negligence.

My problem with Dr. Drew has always been his media w horishness and the fact that he's supposedly a so-called expert on everything. I remember when he was on Loveline giving us girls biased advice, and so on and so on. I have no respect for a doctor who will discuss a celebrity patient's private problems publicly, and then make diagnoses without even seeing a person or getting their permission (I'm talking to you Dr. Phil).

The 5th person. This is not a good record for Dr. Drew. I can't possibly see how some reality show could be good for people suffering from such a horrible condition. And just why would people allow themselves to be publicized while they undergo rehab is beyond me. Do they really think it's a help to others not to follow in their footsteps and become addicts. This show only help to glamorize addiction and probably caused more people to fall into it than prevent it at all.

If the airing of this show stopped people from following down the same dead end path the show's stars followed, then I believe it was worth it. Just because people with diseased minds died, this does not mean it was the show's fault. I know first hand what a chemical addiction can do to the brain of an otherwise healthy human being. It is not pretty. And although I have watched people make every attempt to give up their chemical dependency, it takes a special person with extreme willpower to overcome this. In the meantime, their minds constantly deteriorate.

Those who judge without true knowledge should remember the old saying: Before you judge me, walk a mile in my shoes.

Yeah, because that what stops addiction, Alan. Sitting down and watching some dumb reality show. Shut down all the treatment centers now, right? Give me a break.
It is down right unethical to do what Dr. Drew is doing with that show.

This raises serious questions about "Dr. Drew". If he was supposed to be saving these people from their addictions and the consequences, which seemed to be the point of the show, then he failed miserably. If he was just trying "to teach people how dangerous addiction was” and believed their prognosis was like that of cancer victims, how could he, in good conscience and within professional ethics, exhibit their death struggles like freak show attractions? Drew Pinsky owes everyone some serious explanations and apologies.

People with such extreme addictions die. The addictions field is a very difficult field to be in for just this reason. Their addictions kill them. It's those people who turn their lives around and make a permanent change that make it worth it.

Its a disease and its always after you,even when everything is great and your walking in sobriety. Its stalking you 24 X 7 and its cunning and baffling. If it cant kill you at first it will gladly weight you out and work in less obvious ways to weaken your defenses. One slip and it will refund all the misery,guilt ,heartache,and failure.I have to remember every day in the morning a few simple rules I live by. I have to remember the pain and sorrow so as to not want to go there again. Unless youve been there you are clueless and although your comments are well intentioned you simply dont know. She did what she did to end the insanity and the pain. It wasnt a sane choice and she wasnt thinking correctly so dont judge her.Best thing you can do is pray for her family. Its so very sad but its what the disease of addiction wants for those it has taken to the dark side. Some die a day at a time and some all at once. The only way to exist is using the one day reprieve you can have in the 12 steps. There isnt any amount of time that means your safe...30 years or 30 days...the person suffering from addiction just gets one day.....today.

It just goes to show you what happens when you have a quack like Dr Drew and the crew sensationalizing your addiction. If anything this show contributed to their demise. It did little to help folks like McCready, it's real job is to make money and ratings.

I think the fact that "Dr. Drew" profited from this celebrity rehab obligates him to follow up with these people that he supposedly was supposed to help. Especially with McCready, it sounds like someone dropped the ball because she was seriously in distress. We are out brother's keeper regardless of what people want to thing and when people having issues, people need ot get involved. I've had enough mental illness issues in my own family to know that the initial instict of friends and family is to not talk about it or not get involved. THAT has tragic consequences...

To the best of my knowledge, there has never been any clinical study on how public broadcasting of addiction recovery efforts affects the addict. Based on the 5 deaths of Celebrity Rehab participants I strongly encourage the AMA and the APA to require Dr. Drew to justify the process (from the patient's perspective, not the audience's) or risk having his license suspended.

Are there really people stupid enough to believe it's because of Celebrity Rehab that these people are dead? Hello? They were train wreck drug and alcohol addicts headed for death, and McCready was one of worst nut job drama queens I've ever seen. She chose her method and carried it out.

You've clearly never dealt with addiction issues or had friends go through this sort of thing. I'm honestly surprised MORE people from the show haven't died. Rehab can only take someone so far, its up to them to finish the job, and sometimes people with the best intentions lose the battle, Rehab or not. Also, this was clearly suicide, and its obvious that McCready was struggling mightily with mental illness. Mike Starr died by an accidental mixture of medicines, which he was clean and looking forward to the rest of his life. That sort of thing is why you need to consult all of your doctors on what meds you're taking and double check with your pharmacist. How is any of that Dr Drew's fault?

The Right Wing nuts need something or someone to blame their poor miserable lives on. Personal responsibility is a Republican talking point that they love to bring up yet in real life rarely practice. The new right Wingers in the GOP as a party not of personal responsibility rather petty personal hatred of Obama. They like Drew are hardly role models in this society.

I asked Jesus to help me and he couldn't or wouldn't. I had to do it on my own with the help and support of others who have helped and supported me during my recovery. In other words, Jesus didn't do crap for me. I am sincerely happy you feel he helped you. Give yourself the credit you deserve and others should realize Jesus may be a valuable crutch for some but he is not the answer or miracle cure all for everyone.

Pinsky is a charlatan. It's not his fault for McCready's ultimate end, or anyone else's on his program. But to profit from it – under the guise of somehow actually helping these people – shows a lack of personal integrity on his part. And to watch his program – believing that people are actually being helped – shows a lack of personal intelligence on the part of the viewer.

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him – or her – drink. Maybe too simplistic an observation, but Dr. Pinsky is not a fake, "charlatan," or phony. He knows not everyone can overcome their demons. All he can do is his very best. Fame, fortune and everything that goes with it – as Freddie Mercury ironically sang – can be a blessing and the worst curse one can have fall upon them. RIP Mindy. Prey for her children.

Pinsky is in the entertainment business #1 and helping others #2. I believe he takes sorrow in the deaths of those who have been on his shows but once again Pinsky uses someone's death to educate people on the horrors of addiction while promoting his show/s. He claims this was not an addiction death as if he knows for sure that she was sober and not using which very well could have contributed to her killing herself.

Funny we have had someone say he would kill himself if he lived in Arkansas and called it a dump. Sorry but I live in Arkansas and have lived in other states there is not much of a diffierence. I do not see what that had to do with the issues this woman had. When it comes down to it a Dr. he can only help as much as the patient is willing to let them. I do not however think celebrity rehab being televised helps one bit. I for sure wouldn't want the low parts of my life teleivised.
I also think the media should step back a little, they are no better when they use this to get raitings.

A good aspect of Celeb Rehab is that it demysifies rehab. So many people think rehab is horrible and for losers, but it isnt. Real rehab is incredible with incredible people – both patients and family members. If it gets a few more people who are hurting to go to real rehab, then it might save a few more lives, marriages, relationships with loved ones, etc. Before CR, there was no "window" into rehab. Now it hopefully seems more available.

Rehab is a very personal thing. Anyone who goes through rehab on TV is going for the purposes of being in the lime light and not to actually be rehabilitated. I'm glad I never spent one second watching that show.

Well Dr. Drew "spin" your way out of this tally of death...this new death sport on TV of Re-hab Celebs is probaly making you very rich while those needing help are just "flapping in the wind"... just more face time and advertising dollars, not the real care of real sick people who cannot help themselves.

It's been going on for years, not the Doc's fault. Look at what happened with a lot of Diffren't Strokes cast members and that barely touches this issue. Lots of celebs can't handle fame well when they have problems at home or in their personal lives. People are just people. accept their faults and move on. Until you can fix all their problems, you are not in the shoes you need to be in to judge.

Hollywood tolerates addict celebs when they are making money but discards them when they no longer are bringing in the money. Coked up singers taking years to record their next hit album is common place. Actors too drugged up to make it to the set on time is expected. If studios put their foot down in the beginning like any other employers there wouldn't be so many celebrities imploding. I don't care about celebrities themselves but they set a really horrible example for young people, who don't know in the real world, a drug addiction will cost them everything. Singers can get away with being pill popping addicts, people with average jobs are going to find themselves homeless with the same addictions.

PULLLLEzzzzzzzz, stop putting these sick, drug abusing celebrities on a pedestal. OMG, we are still going on and on about Whitney Houston. Yes, I love her music, she was a gifted drug abuser. Why do we have to send these messages to our kids about drug abuse by the rich and famous.

Put her in her box, bury her, and forget about celebrating her life that wasn't. Let's allow our children to be healthy, but not being influences by Celebrity Drug addicts.

Apparently, she was still under police investigation concerning the death of her bf. Maybe she knew the game was up and checked out instead of facing prison time? But why did she have to take her dog with her?

Have you ever had to deal with mental illness or addiction? Ok then...
As far as the dog, yeah, I feel for the dog. At least, like sooo many it didn't go the pound. My deceased pets will be cremated and in the coffin with me when I go into the ground. I love my pets.

I agree these shows don't help in the way they should if at all. I think celebrities think it will give them a boost to get their name back out their. However, mental illness,any addiction is serious. People who have never dealt with a friend or family member with it they really need to keep comments to themselves. Its a sad situation for her two children. Prayers and thoughts for her family.

a doc once said to me, " it think your an alcoholic." i said i "think your an azzhol". so i took it upon myself to consider what doc said and went to a shrink. shrink said it wasn't the booze it was my wife. I said, "your an azzhol" 20 years later? still enjoying my brew and my wife, still have not make my mark in music though. i wonder where the doc and the shrink are, up somebodies azzhol trying to mees their mind?

Amy Winehouse is not a perfect example but still a better example than most of us will ever aspire to be. She lived and suffered by her own rules, she created amazing music and inspirational art that will outlive all of us. Who are we to tell her what she should have done?

She lived and experienced the full bandwidth of life while she was still here. Our world is better because of her time spent here with us on her terms, not ours.

It appears to be very obvious than none if any have had any serious physical or mental problems in your life. You cannot blame drs. for everything. Once a person is released it is up to them and their handleres or friends(so-called).
No matter what a terrible thing to happen to you is, but you have to live the life to understand it. Trust me.

Bmtman – it is very unetheical for a dr. to publicize his addicted clients. Yes they may have consented but could anyone really say they were of their right mind to consent to that? How did they get on the show? Did they seek help or get a cold call? Ni dr. drew is not responsible for the deaths but he is still a slimeball in my book for exploiting addicts.

Hard to believe how many cruel heartless people post on these forums. Only 20% of those who go to any kind of rehab actually make it and stay sober. Many of you seem happy that someone has committed suicide. No wonder the country is in trouble if you people are at all representative of the general public. It isn't Dr Drews's fault. Dowdotica, you just keep on keep in' on with your 40 oz'ers, they will destroy your liver as they did my brother, killed him at age 50. Good luck to you.

What about Mindy's children? Her life was so bad....what about theirs. She could have done something else instead of killing herself. My prayers are with those two small boys....May their lives be PEACEFUL.

Shove your prayers! People like you who have no understanding of depression, mental illness or anything that your precious God can't cure at the drop of a hat should suffer for a long-g-g-g-g-g time before you spiral out of control like this poor woman did.

What about Mindy's two small children...I am sure she could have found a better way to deal with her life,but no she instead choose to end it and leave her children alone. My prayers are with them my there lives be peaceful!!!

Dr. Drew has devoted his life to helping people, all people that he can. These deaths would have come sooner had he not been there to help. I have respected Drew since the first time I saw Loveline on MTV back in the 90's, you can tell a genuine person when you see on doing the things he's done for so long. With all his T.V. shows, he is still an actual normal real life Dr. not just a T.V. host. He also still drives 5 days a week to do Loveline at KROQ in L.A. in hopes of reaching young listeners before they end up like these celebs.

Drew is great actually. But Rehab rarely works. He's the first to say that are very few options that offer a real solution, and of those statistically there is only one program which works. People go in and out of rehab. They rehab and they relapse. It's goes on and on until they either die or end up in AA. There are exceptions to that of course, and even people who end up in AA, get sober for years, will suddenly relapse and die. It's very tough. Overall I think rehab is just a vacation from your abuse, and not a solution. Rehab is generally for someone trying to avoid AA, someone trying to avoid sobriety, and someone who is trying to avoid thinking of themselves as having a problem. It's a place to sober up (sometimes not sober up at all, just take scripts instead) and then 'get better', head back out in the world to do it again. Often with better tools for disguising, more confidence in a soft landing, more false hope. So that's why you see so much of this. She needed to be sober, not just dry, or moderating, or whatever she was doing.

We Americans demonize and stimigmatize everything we don't like from overweight, addiction,mental illness, smoking the list goes on, so most people instead of being made fun of or like these post made to feel like they are worthless, simply don't get the treatment they need until its to late or someone is dead.

My sympathies go out to this woman and her family. I mean that sincerely. But let's not kid ourselves...this woman took her highly personal struggles with addiction and plastered it on television for the world to see. Shows like Celebrity Rehab and Intervention may claim to serve a noble purpose, but they exist for no better reason than any other exploitative reality TV program out there. Famous or not, if I were going through something as traumatic and emotional as an addiction problem, I would want to solve it privately and on my own terms, not with a camera in my face or in the company of a hack shrink trying to sell books or boost Nielsen ratings. And though I'm not a shrink myself, I truly believe that if you ask any psychological expert NOT on a cable network's payroll, they would tell you that such exposure would be detrimental to such a person's recovery. Five dead celebrities should be a pretty good indicator that "Doctor" Drew Pinsky isn't exactly the best treatment option.

Dr. Drew is user...plain & simple. He is getting rich off of people's misery and not making them any better off from the experience. 5 dead in 2 years?????? What's he doing...pumping their sleeping quarters with subliminal messages to kill themselves? What a vulture.

Man you just cannot say that. He's been doing this for years, and if you listen to what he says, if it's not a soundbite, if it's his words I must say his advice is usually solid. This show was done in poor taste, I'll agree with you there. But this is what a real rehab looks like. They suck. They don't work. Half the people who end up in rehab and don't get sober end up dead. He's the first to tell you how tough this is, and the first to tell you rehab isn't going to do it. He gave her advice, he tried to get her into a 12 step program, she either didn't do it or couldn't be helped but you can hardly blame Dr. Drew. I think you are a bit of an ignoramos, and a disgusting person to accuse him. I imagine he has enough guilt on his own, and he did nothing but try to help her. Again, I agree it was all in poor taste, but he's not the captain of this ship he's just the doctor they hired.

Sadly, the success rate of Dr. Drew's show is not atypical of the rehab process. Of the hundreds of thousands of people in the US who go into rehab every year, nearly 80% will relapse within a year. In recent years, about 37,000 have died of drug overdoses each year (with about 60% of those deaths attributed to legal prescription drugs), and while not all of those people may have attended rehab, you can imagine that quite a large number of them did. This does not take into account the number of former drug users that die from organ failure or other issues related to long term drug use.

To all of you condemning this Rehab show, if you've ever spent more than two minutes watching it, then you are part of the problem. No show would exist unless people watched it. The fact that you're all here talking about it, suggest you've all watched the show and likely been entertained to one degree or another by it.

@ John. I have never watched the show. I hate the idea of "reality tv". Unfortunately the gen pop finds it entertaining. Making a show by making money off the humiliation of others is always in the poorest of taste.

I've only seen the show a couple of times, and I can understand how people might find it exploitative, but I can't help but wonder whether or not these 'celebs' would have found their way into any kind of treatment without it. The show lured them with TV time and money, but at least there was /some/ help involved that they may not have gotten otherwise. The fact of the matter is that even with rehab many, many people fall back into abusing drugs, and many of those people will die because of their addictions.

As the director of a mental health and drug addiction clinic, I would suggest that any of these people who do supposed mental health work, or rehab work, in view of the world, online, (Dr. Phil.. all of them) violate the code of ethics for our profession. Their shows are really about them, not the people they supposedly are helping. The 'twist' created by this public "recovery process" contributes to failure.... in this case, I agree the boyfriends death was a problem, but if this woman had a personal, confidential counselor to work with..... and had not had the pressure of having to succeed in the public eye.... this might have been averted. I agree with those who say such shows should be "off the air"

"if this woman had a personal, confidential counselor to work with" – Dr. Drew is certainly not to blame for that *not* happening. I would bet he gave her plenty of information on how to continue her treatment – it was up to her to move in that direction.

FACT: EMBARRASSED – NO ONE WANTS PEOPLE TO LAUGH AT THEM BUT TO LAUGH WITH THEM.
WHEN YOU OPEN UP YOUR LIFE TO THE WORLD YOU SEE HOW UGLY OR BEAUTIFUL YOUR LIFE IS.
THERE IS A BLAME CARD....A REAL CARD....
PUT YOURSELF IN THE PERSON SHOES....THEN SAY A PRAYER...THAT GOD FORGIVE YOU
YES YOU FOR WATCHING THIS PERSON BE USED FOR WHAT? "MONEY"

I totally agree. These reality shows are great for ratings and the egos of the "doctors" involved, but there are serious ethical concerns about using this approach, the consequences of this now becoming evident in the mortality rates of the participants.

This is true. But it's probably impossible for public figures to achieve privacy in these manners. It's also probably impossible to protect them from the cruelty some people publicize in the comment sections.

Dr. Drew is a hack, not to mention a narcissist, who cares more about exploiting people than helping them. I hope this show (and all other shows he has) get cancelled.

To those who say the celebrities "chose to be on the show," yes, you'e right, but they are clearly at a very low point in their lives and in the midst of an addiction. A professional, with an ethics code to"do no harm" should know better.

I agree. These people's lives should never have been on a 'reality' show, for other's viewing 'entertainment.' There isn't anybody seriously watching Pinsky to learn how to avoid drugs. This is all about a peep show, where people get seduced into watching something very private, and very devastating. Pinsky is as much to blame for causing and facilitating their deaths as they are. He even indicts himself saying how embarassed she was by the stigma. He increased that embarassment by putting her on that show, and putting her in a fishbowl for the entire world to see. Given her mental state for quite some time, where was his responsibility to help her and continue to reach out ? I'd say he is one of the most exploitive people on TV.

Life, for some is not a box of chocolates. Choices usually, problems not of their making, reliance on recreational drugs among thousands of potential issues and finally back to making a choice.

The only thing the 5 did was speed up where we are all headed anyway. Its a grevious false assumption to think some people's situations may change. If some have given up, like the ones with terminal disease, who are you, REALLY, to say when and where? Yes its sad, but like the rest of us, its inevitable.

One thing its not as this article suggests, other people's fault. What a load of horse droppings.

Yet another Dr. Drew Success takes a dirt nap just after Dr. Drew "Death" called her. What further proof does one need that if it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck, perhaps it is a quack?. I understand VHS is changing the name to making a buck from stupid Celibs. Dr. Drew's kill ratio is now higher then Dr. Death K.

Lanfear Look inside yourself?? now whose out to lunch no concept of reality with most people as they have no concept of what this world is about and what mankind's purpose here is. Without Jesus Christ as the center of your life you are on the road to destruction...all of us

LOL Razor! The idea of having an imaginary "friend" watching over me all the time, deciding if what I do in my life is good enough to get into heaven, or whether I will burn for eternity instead, is alone enough to make someone want to kill themself.

"doctors" like this who go on TV are disgusting and disgrace to the profession. Dr. Drew has to be the worst. How could anyone think that parading out a bunch of celebrities at their lowest and trying to "help" them through addiction would be beneficial? Addiction is already difficult enough to deal with clearly. Dr. Drew- how do the cameras help the patient? If you can't answer that, please quit.

My opinion is the show is nothing but just that......a show. Dr. Drew is out of in line in thinking somehow this production might help other people in society. I personally believe it is just a forum to feed his ego.

I agree. I want to believe that Dr. Drew has the best of intentions to educate the public about mental illness and reducing the stigma attached to it through this show, but perhaps therapy should be in private and not on TV. So sad.

I feel really terrible for her kids to have suffered the loss of both parents by suicide. I hope they get the love and support they need throughout their lives so they don't follow in their parents' footsteps.

Anyone wondering why McCready took her own life just needs to read some of these comments. She was sick, but just because her illness happened to be a mental health issue, people are quick to judge and condemn her. Just think how you would feel if you were in her shoes dealing with an illness affecting the very part of your body which, well makes you...you.

The last thing an addict needs is the kind of attention given them by a celebrity "reality" show. Addicts need to learn, first and foremost, that it isn't always about THEM. Working with a 12-Step sponsor who calls you on your stuff and actively participating in a 12-Step group that does the same is the best way to get and stay in recovery.

Personally, I think Dr. Drew has his own addiction issues (to being the center of attention) and enables folks more than helps them.

I agree with your view partially.
A 12 step program has better chance than no program, perhaps the best chance, but it is no guaranty.
The pledge and even 'THAT PLACE' in Malibu, if you have that kind of cash, are better than going it alone.

There ARE better ways to live AND others who have been successful so far. My wife and I have been obstinate for over 30 yrs, one day at a time. And we both have other issues but life IS do-able, with help.
With others with the same problems, no explanation is necessary.
With others without the same problems, no explanation is possible.

I've heard alot of the mentally ill people are crazy. Some are even insane. It's like a sickness in their brain or something. Almost like the flu or virus but inside the head. It must be terrible being a crazy person. I feel bad for them. .

Just like we have stop using degrading words describing color, and medical conditions, we need to stop using words like crazy, insane loony....it one of the steps to remove the stigma of mental health.

Mental Health and Substance abuse are 2 totally different things. Maybe instead of treating mental health with pharma drugs that change the chemical balance in the brain, treat it through holistic measures, like diet, and herbs. Also, the best help for the mentally ill is counseling and hours of therapy and talking their issues out with someone who does not judge.

This is an incredibly simplistic answer. Some mental health issues need drugs. There is nothing wrong with drugs in many cases. Why don't you try intensive counseling and herbal remedies with a schizophrenic who's normally prescribed Haldol or Thorazine and get back with me about how that turns out. Nothing wrong with non-pharma treatments, but to try to minimize the importance of appropriate pharmacological interventions in major mental health issues is dangerous and stupid.

Dr. Hook is right. While therapy and holistic measures are exceedingly important in treatment of mental illness, chemical treatment is also crucial for some people. One of my family members has to take pills every day for his bipolar disorder. His quality of life would be so much worse without it. For the record, he also takes vitamins, exercises, and attends therapy sessions. He makes it a point to learn about his illness, journals his feelings, and communicates with his friends and family about how he is doing. If his medications were taken away, it would be very difficult for him to commit to all these other wonderful things that help him.

Jeff, that is a pathetic, one-sided, simplistic view of mental health issues. It's like saying that liver problems shouldn't be treated with drugs, or diabetes and that all-natural herbs and 'talking their issues out' will cure such diseases. The problem with those who are not mentally ill, is that they separate mental health from general physical health almost like imaging that the brain is somehow separate to the rest of our body – split off and therefore not a part of what we call our bodily health. On a cellular, chemical, dna level – our body and it's many organs and parts – can have disease. The brain is just one of those. It is a sickness and disease that causes the addiction, not the other way round and certainly not caused by the failings of any one individual. Simply assuming that counseling and herbs can heal everything is the same as saying to someone 'pull your socks up and get some backbone – your problem is no worse than tummy ache; here try some goji berries'. When will people start to realize that our brain and its ability to work healthily are no less our bodily health than the rest of us! One issue is that because brain health (including addiction) can be obvious in what we say or how we behave towards others, people therefore assume that it is intentional. It isn't. We're ill. Personally, if I hadn't been treated with a combination of drugs, I would not still be here. I'm not crazy; I have an illness. I go to yoga, I eat an all natural diet and I have a therapist. Guess what? That isn't enough – just like cancer is for most people. I have to take the drugs to be healthy. I have such compassion for those whose mental illness overcomes them. The agony that their minds go through can never be underestimated. I only wish that treatment was as simple as you make it out to be. I'd be first in the line for the 'cure'. God bless Mindy McCready and her family.

To comment on your other point: substance abuse and mental illness ARE two different things. It is common for folks struggling with mental illness to "self-medicate" with drugs or alcohol, especially when they have not been diagnosed.

Sorry; wanted to correct my previous point. Substance abuse IS a form of mental illness when you are addicted. Just because you are using a drug does not mean you are addicted, but yes, it is a fine line. Yikes I am walking a fine line here in my explanation, sorry...

Stop ragging on Dr Drew. These people were messed up before he found them and would likely have done the same no matter what. That is what drug addicts do. However, like all haters, you'll focus on this rather than the people he's helped.

This is sad news and also sad some of this I am reading. Yes there has been five people who have passed away who were on Celebrity Rehab, unfortunately this happens daily to people who have not appeared on Celebrity Rehab and who we do not read about. I'd like to say hats off to Dr. Drew for addressing these issues (Addiction and Mental Health) on tv as this is such a widespread serious problem that is happening everyday.

the only way to really seek and possibly have success in beating a addiction or get treatment for mental healrh issues is through proper profeesional help along with a strong support team of family and friends
those who go on these TV shows are not serious bout there addiction and its onlly a means to publicity the show uis not there for them but only cares about ratings and financial gains.

Marion, your reading comprehension is off today. He specifically says it wasn't addiction. She checked herself out of treatment early for a non-substance related issue. What Pinsky said is that she didn't get the help she needed because of the stigma of going in-patient.

As for the other facts you site, I don't think you've probably seen the police and coroner's reports, so I doubt you're the authority on what contributed to the deaths of these people.

The father that died was not the father of both children. The six year old son's father is in Florida while the kids are in foster care. My wife works is the mental health field, this is such a sad case. Sometimes all of the help in the world can not stop this from happening.

I have worked in mental health and substance abuse for over 10 years. I make money at this job. Why is it a bad thing to make money? Do you not want to be paid for what you do? You can argue that the show is exploitative, though I think you will be wrong. But I don't think you can argue that it is unethical because someone wants the show to have good ratings and make money. The people in treatment on the show want it to get good ratings and make money too.

"The people in treatment on the show want it to get good ratings and make money too."

Well, that would likely be because 1) They are celebrities and look at it as a chance to be on tv, in the spot light and 2) I'm pretty sure, though not 100% positive that they get some kind of compensation for being on the show. Either way, as to the exploitation of the patients, they certainly are being exploited, albeit by their own consent.

My question would be, and I do not know this at all, is the percentage of relapse/death statistically significantly higher for the show than for non-televised rehab programs? If it is, then I think a good case can be made that the show needs to be cancelled and possibly the producers, if not Dr. Pinsky himself as well, should be sanctioned.

My point, Mr. Scrooge, is that by that argument anyone who makes money off of a therapeutic relationship is exploiting their client. I don't think that's correct. Like I said, I think you can argue that the setting creates exploitation, though I again think that's incorrect, but the fact that there's money involved is not very important.

Your question is interesting, but you're looking at things the wrong way around. Even if there were a higher level of substance related deaths on the show, statistically speaking, compared to regular treatment programs, it wouldn't prove anything because the populations they serve are quite different and there's a ton of selection bias. It's apples and oranges. The people who are picked for the show are already extreme cases. Moreso than the average walk-in at a community mental health center or rehab. Partly because of the severity of their addiction, but also largely because of their lifestyle and level of access to substances that can be abused. Many of them have been addicts for decades and living an excessive lifestyle the whole time. Many have had near-misses by the time they go on the show. As I recall, many of them have said they were already surprised they were still alive by the time they even got to the show. They don't take people on Celebrity Rehab who just like to relax with a joint every now and again, but had their mom walk in at the wrong time. You do get a lot of that at community clinics.

In some ways, the severity of the cases on the show is the thing that vindicates and justifies it, for me at least. It's something that I don't think most people understand. The severity of the consequences and impact on their lives, the process and challenges of getting and staying sober, and the extreme persistence of the disease even after they think they're done dealing with it is all educational.

Dr. Phil, on the other hand, I hate and would like to see professionally sanctioned.

“There’s a cautionary tale here about the stigma of mental illness and the way in which the public attack celebrities who take care of themselves,” Pinsky said. McCready "became so fearful of the stigma and the way people were responding to her being hospitalized that she actually checked herself out prematurely. …

Well, she checked out early and didn't receive the proper treatment. That's one way to frame the excuse. What about the 4 other members that died, "Dr" Drew.

Thank you for mentioning that. I have never heard of "Celebrity Rehab", but my son lost one of his best friends, a Marine discharged due to disability due to wounds received in combat. We hope he OD'd on pain killers by accident, but no one will ever know for sure.

Next, it seems that the approach taken by rehab is not working for some of the people involved. A new approach needs to be formulated if lives are to be saved. Self-medicating one's emotional pain is tricky business, so instead of dealing with the using, dealing with the reason why people are using is the logical place to begin.

If a person's emotional pain is so great they don't want to live, it must be a terrific pain. This is very sad. I've gone through some pretty hard times myself, but have never wanted to end my life. I cannot imagine why a person would feel their problems are so insurmountable that they would want to die. Again, my condolences to those who knew Ms. McCready. They must be in severe pain themselves.

My condolences to the family as well. Anne Blake Tracey the creator of antidepressants has lobbied to get them off the market. Fluorinated antidepressants cause an amnesia, anesthetic state of mind. You don't feel bad. You don't feel anything. Big Pharma says it takes time to build up in your brian. It takes time for your body not to reject these toxic drugs. They caution you when medication increases again. Your body has to learn to tolerate the additional toxins in your body and brain. The are NOT physical anxiety drugs. They are Social Anxieity. Disinhibiting Stimulant Drugs. You are walking around in a brain fog. With no supervision and only Primitive brain responses. Fight, Flight, Fear, Freeze or Folly.
Take these Toxins off the market. USE Cognitive behavioral Therapy and ALWAYS send Patients to AA or Alanon or both to leann for one Dollar a meeting how to confront the demons of our past or present without any Substances in our bodys or brains.

Maybe instead of looking at the 5 deaths as failures, we should count the remaining members alive as successes? Drug addiction is a horrible thing, and most people lose the fight when it gets bad enough for rehab. If he has saved a few people, that is better than losing them all.

Dr. Drew is an idiot. The last thing these people need is the added pressure of TV. They need to focus on their addiction and not worry about how it looks on TV. Dr. Drew is doing this to make money and nothing more.

These people and millions others drug up because the society we live in here in the USA is so frigen terrible that they don't want to live. They dope up to get by. Take the drugs away and they want to end it. The fix is the straiten up this terrible country... start with joining the first world relating to things such as the ability to take a vacation without worrying about loosing your job to the greedy corporate leaders.

Hey Dr. Drew – you say that if the father of her oldest child hadn't killed himself, this wouldn't have happened. This was her 3rd suicide attempt – maybe his death pushed her over the edge but I have a sneaking feeling that she would have killed herself eventually.

Dr Drew doesn't need me to defend him. The simple fact is that the individuals who did his show were dying from their addictions. The five who have passed since appearing on his show were all in the throes of very serious and very severe addiction. Absent the show and the treatment they received as part of it, they had no chance. That is where addiction leads. Some people have gone on that show and have, to date, beaten their addictions and gotten a new lease on life thanks to Dr. Drew and maybe somebody should go and talk to them when something like this happens. Millions more got a full dose of the reality that is addiction so they can either use it to help themselves and/or help those they love who are also suffering from this disease.

Dr. Drew does not need you to defend him – because he is indefensible. He is a celebrity and a reality TV producer, not a doctor. Real doctors don't plan their patients' therapy around camera angles and hype-worthy "drama." That and the fact that he is always willing to weigh in with a "medical" opinion on people he does know (often incorrectly) should tell you all you need to know about this disgrace to the medical profession.

Well said k dub, Pinsky is vastly more interested in his own celebrity than he is about his 'patients'. I'm really disappointed in CNN for always giving this self-serving narcissist such a power microphone.

Nobody does cruel, judgmental, insulting, sick humor and ignorant like Americans...." At least she made her secks video before she got old & fat." I don't know if the guy who posted this thinks its funny (its not) or is another sad, pathetic, angry little man who isn't happy, so he needs to announce it to the world.

Usually they are either sick and pathetic dweebs ages 15-35 who still live in their Mommies' basements. Trolls feed on pi**ing people off or play to the lowest denominator. They can only pray they would could be ALLOWED to see a porn tape.

Really? Have you done a comparative study of posts to similar articles in France, England, Germany, etc? I doubt that the need of some ignorant people to make rude comments to tragic stories is a uniquely American thing.

@Joe: You don't understand anything about Dr. Drew or addiction, and you wrote a very offensive (and completely inaccurate) post without even trying to understand either. Dr. Drew is the most authentic of all the "TV doctors."

Have to side with Joe on this one. Every TV show that claims it's out to help people – Dr Drew, Dr Oz, Biggest Loser, Celeb Rehab, are out to exploit under the guide of helping. If it was only about helping, the parading them on TV wouldn't be necessary.

Saying Dr Drew is the best TV doctor is like being the best murderer in D-block – it ain't much of a distinction.

The potential life or death realities associated with a person's negative emotional core, such as depression, addiction or suicide should only be dealt with in an environment of dignity, professional care, privacy and personal, heartfelt love.

Never should these desperate individuals be exploited on a nationwide stage solely for profit and sensationalism by uncaring or unscrupulous media profiteers and medical professionals who cannot differentiate between Hippocrates and hypocrisy.

Amen to that. Having been sober for over 22 years and helping many others in recovery. I know that although the rate of recovery in any type of 12 step program is small. This type of outreach flys in the face of any successful endeavor in existence today.

Are YOU serious? Only the JUNKIE can decide if they are going to stay clean or not. A doctor can give a JUNKIE the tools to cope, but it is up to the JUNKIE to use them and stay clean. Your post is BEYOND IGNORANT. TRULY.

The only appropriate means of comparing doctors and their patients' outcomes is by comparing those practicing in similar fields. If you honestly think there is a working doctor who main career focus is addiction who doesn't lose current and former patients almost daily, you are sadly misinformed.

So many hateful comments but why am I not surprised. The internet is full of hateful people. I'd never heard of Mindy McCready but a suicide is always a tragedy. Mental health issues, addiction issues...always difficult, always sad. Too many lives wasted and ended too soon. I hope she is at peace now.

That's the point of drug addiction. You are so self absorbed in having the drug that noone else matters. Your family doesn't matter. Your job doesn't matter. Paying the rent doesn't matter. Everyone thinks – oh snap out of it – but apparently it's not that easy.

a very, very sick person does, that's who. I am not defending her or her decisions, I am just pointing out that she was a very sick woman. This was a woman in desperate need of medical help who didn't get it.. at least not enough of it. It is easy to cast aspersions, but every single one of you does (or someday will) have someone they love suffering from addiction and/or depression. They are both deadly diseases. If she had died of cancer, there would be nothing but sympathetic posts here, but, since it was addiction....

Really? and you know the standard cure rates, relapse rates and, sadly, death rates for the patients treated by all other addiction doctors out there? ALL doctors treating addiction... not just Dr. Drew... have HUGE numbers of patients who relapse and patients who die. That is what addiction is.

Wow, Depression is something I just dont understand. I have never let any failure I have had in life, affect me to the point that I would want to kill myself. I have always thought of them as learning experiences and just go on WITH LIFE. Problems are just bumps on the road of life, everyone has them, but I guess some people just dont know how to cope, deal, or ignore theirs. Truly sad for the kids.

You clearly do NOT understand clinical depression then. Please go look it up. It's not just a matter of pressing on or dealing with problems for people who suffer from clinical (rather than situational) depression.

Depression is when that thing that keeps YOU from falling apart breaks and suddenly isn't there anymore. What you're doing here is asking "I don't understand how brakes can fail! Mine work every time I press the pedal!"

Unfortunately, that's the problem with depression – most of us can deal with the low points in our life and keep going. But those with depression cannot do that as easily. Just like how someone with a heart condition can find some exertion fatal that others can handle, or a diabetic suffering from a dietary sugar imbalance most of us wouldn't bat an eye at. The problem with depression is that the organ that isn't working properly is the brain – which is far less understood than hearts, lungs, kidneys, and so on.

Depression isn't just brought on by a series of failures. You could be the most accomplished rich family life person but still be a manic depressive. For most people its brought on by a serious brain chemical imbalance that most likely in this case were exasperated by drug and alcohol addiction. If she was untreated or improperly taking care of herself and not taking her treatments properly ...it was...tragically a matter of time. I pray for her and her family in this difficult time. If only more people understood the different illnesses related to mental disorders maybe she wouldn't of felt she needed to hide so much.

People need to take mental illnesses of all levels more serious and stop simply making it out as well someone was a sore loser about their life and stop shunning those who are trying and want help. If people weren't so afraid of being stigmatized by it all more people would get help and likely take care of themselves better without fear of being made fun.

There is a massive difference between "the blues" and clinical depression. Yes, we all have times when we are a bit down... when we lose someone we love (either to death or breakup) or things in our life aren't as perfect as we'd like. This is NOT what killed Mindy McCready. Clinical depression is a medical disease that is no different than cancer, and without proper treatment it is every bit as deadly as cancer.

Junkies die everyday and most of these people on celebrity rehab are NOT celebrities! Since when was Rodney King a celebrity? He was a man who was chased and then beaten by cops and before and after the incident he was nothing but a strain on society. If they want to call these shows "Celebrity" lets get some celebrity's on them. Geeze!!!

I agree with you. I was thinking about this after I heard the news today. The issues of failing health, poverty, knocking one's self out a minimum wage job while getting no where, anti social communities, shame, abuse, rape, unplanned pregnancy, lack of health care, lack of mental health care, homelessness, bullying, lack of support systems, lack of family values, the things you listed and things neither of us listed, people deal with these things every day – sometimes a lifetime of such things, seems a wonder that more people don't follow this tragic path.

Thankfully, situations and outlooks can and often do change – as many times as it's been said, that's a permanent 'solution' to a temporary problem(s).

Admittedly, I have little familiarity with Drew. It does seem apparent he is not a physician and I am pretty sure while he may have a terminal degree in something he is almost certainly not a psychologist either. Watching his inane and defensive comments tonight on CNN was insulting to the memory of Ms. mcCready. Not knowing her of course, she did seem to be a rather textbook borderline personality disorder whose chaotic behavior was fueled by substance abuse. This wasn't the first suicice attempt, just the last. Sadly, it was inevitable and no amount of celebrity "rehab" was going to change that. More exploitation of wrecked personalities coming up next on "sort of doctor" drew.

Hey Zombie Pete, take some remedial English classes to get to the third grade level; when there ore only two things being compared, it is "older" and "younger". Oh, now I understand the Zombie part, you are brain dead.